Apple picker On October 23, 2012, Apple presented the world with an updated iMac. I waited for long months, hoping for his performance at each of the last three keynotes. I have been thinking about switching to a new platform since the beginning of 2012, but the switch is only for domestic purposes. In my work, the primary platform is still Windows and probably will be for a long time. The following paragraphs will also be written from this point of view. The subjective assessment concerns not only the hardware as such, but also the software, which is completely new to me.
At the outset, it should be noted that the innovations in the new iMac model are quite fundamental. It's not just an increase in performance and a few extra little things, as is common, but there has been a change in design and some technologies. The iMac now has a teardrop shape, so it looks very thin optically, with the largest components located around the center of the back, which transitions into a stand. The front is practically identical to the previous models.
Step one. Click, pay and wait
If you don't buy some standard configuration, for example from a Czech dealer, you will probably wait and wait. And then wait again. I sent the order on December 1, 2012, and I picked up the package exactly on December 31 in the morning at the TNT central warehouse. In addition, I chose a non-standard configuration with an i7 processor, a Geforce 680MX graphics card and a Fusion Drive, which could have meant an extra day.
I must say that thanks to the TNT Express delivery service, you have the opportunity to track the shipment from its receipt to delivery. Today it's a standard service, but also quite an adrenaline rush if you're really looking forward to your package. For example, you'll find that iMacs are picked up in Shanghai and then flown out of Pudong. At a minimum, you will expand your geographical knowledge. But you can also with the message "Delay Due To Routing Error. Recovery Actions Underway" to learn that your shipment was mistakenly sent from Kolding to Belgium instead of the Czech Republic. For those of a weaker nature, I recommend not even tracking the shipment.
Step two. Where do I sign?
When I received the package, I was surprised at how small and light the box was. I was expecting a slightly different weight and dimensions, but I believed that no one had deceived me and I would not unpack a box full of Chinese clothes.
After opening the classic brown box, a white box with a picture of an iMac on the front peeks out at you. The computer is packed really thoroughly and I was surprised with how much attention to detail everything is done. Everything is thoroughly wrapped, taped. No trace or footprint of a Chinese underage worker anywhere.
You won't find much in the package. The first thing that looks at you is the box with the keyboard and, in my case, with the Magic Trackpad. Then just the iMac itself and the cable. That's all. No CDs with last year's software blockbusters, no demo versions and no advertising leaflets. Just nothing. A little bit of music for so much money you say? But somewhere... That's exactly what you'll pay extra for. Both the keyboard and Magic Trackpad are wireless, network access can be via Wi-Fi. Plain and simple, you pay for one cable at the table. You don't need anything more.
Step three. Buckle up, we're flying
The first start was full of tension. I was very curious about how snappy OS X is compared to Windows. Unfortunately, my assessment will be a bit unfair, because the iMac has a Fusion Drive (SSD + HDD) and I have not yet worked with an SSD on Windows. If I ignore the absolute first start with some personalization, the cold start to the desktop takes a respectable 16 seconds (iMac model from 2011 with a hard drive starts in approx. 90 seconds, editor's note). With the fact that it does not mean that something else is read while the desktop is being displayed. The desktop just appears and you can start working. There is one more thing related to the Fusion Drive. Thanks to it, everything starts practically immediately. The system simply responds immediately and applications are launched without unnecessary waiting.
Raw performance
The extra-cost combination of an Intel Core i7 processor, GeForece GTX 680MX and Fusio Drive is hell. For your money, you get one of the most powerful desktop processors today, namely the Core i7-3770 type, which is physically four-core with the Hyper-Threading function, practically eight-core. Since I don't do any complex tasks on the iMac, I didn't manage to use this processor to even 30% with standard work. Playing Full HD video on two monitors is a warm-up for this monster.
The GTX 680MX graphics card from NVidia is the most powerful mobile graphics card you can buy today. According to websites such as notebookcheck.net, the performance is equivalent to last year's desktop Radeon HD 7870 or GeForce GTX 660 Ti, which means that if you like to play games, the iMac will run all current titles in native resolution in high detail. It has enough power for that. I have tested only three titles so far (World of Warcraft with the last data disc, Diablo III and Rage) and everything runs at the maximum possible details in native resolution without hesitation and with a sufficient reserve, perhaps except for WoW, which in places with a high number of players reached limit of 30 frames from the usual 60-100. Diablo and Rage are already coloring pages for this hardware, and rendering frequencies do not drop below 100 FPS.
Fusion Drive
I will briefly mention the Fusion Drive. Since it is essentially a combination of an SSD disk and a classic HDD, this storage can draw on the advantages of both. You get a very fast response of applications and your data, but you also don't have to limit yourself so much with storage space. The SSD in the iMac has a capacity of 128 GB, so it is not just a classic disk cache, but a real storage in which the system intelligently stores data that you use often. The advantage of this solution is obvious. You don't have to watch the data that is important to you yourself, but the system will do it for you. This eliminates the need to wonder if I have files here or there. It just works and so far well too.
It is also good to note that this is not a groundbreaking and new technology, as it has been used for some time in servers, for example. Apple just did what it does best. He tweaked the technology to bring it to desktops, the masses, which any company before him could have done, but didn't.
Computer volume
One more thing is related to the monstrous performance that hides in the elegant body of the iMac - noise. The iMac is a completely silent machine under normal circumstances. However, this does not mean that if you drown him in the water, he will not let you know about you. I was able to spin the cooling fan up to barely audible speeds after about three hours of playing World of Warcraft. Fortunately, the cooling worked so that the fan spun for a while and then I didn't know about it again for half an hour. From this point of view, I rate the iMac very positively. I remember very well the boxes under the table that drowned out even the sound through the headphones and the other person in the room tensed with anticipation when the strange box would rise and fly away. Fortunately, that doesn't happen here. Overall, the cooling is thought out somehow better compared to the previous generation. I remember that the previous iMac got quite hot, its back was quite warm, but with the 2012 model, the temperature is more felt mainly around the attachment to the base, but the body is otherwise cool.
Connectivity with surroundings
The iMac has a gigabit Ethernet connector, two Thunderbolt ports, four USB 3 ports, an SDXC card reader and a headphone jack. That's all. No HDMI, FireWire, VGA, LPT, etc. But I know from my own experience that I only need two USBs at most, and I already replaced the HDMI with a Thunderbolt port with a reducer for $4.
Once again, triple hooray, the iMac actually has USB 3. You may not even know it, but the number of external drives you have at home already support this interface and have been doing so for so long that I forgot about it. I was even more surprised when the data from an ordinary external drive suddenly started moving at a speed of 80 MB/s, compared to the usual 25 MB/s.
The absence of any optical mechanism causes slightly more conflicting feelings. We are in a transition period when nobody actually needs optical media anymore, but everyone has them. Will I have to buy an external drive for this? I won't. I used an old laptop to transfer the saved data from the CD/DVD, which will go back into the closet. That clears it up for me, but I think most people won't be that tolerant.
Display
The display is the most dominant thing on the iMac, and it's no wonder. The current generation is certainly tormenting many laymen with the question of where the computer is actually in that display, because the computer parts are hidden very decently.
I dare say that the vast majority of households have monitors at home with a price tag of 3 to 6 thousand crowns with dimensions of 19" to 24". If you also belong to this category, then the display of the new iMac will literally put you on your ass. You won't notice the differences right away, but only when you view photos, apps, etc. that you know from your old monitor on your iMac. The color rendering is incredibly strong. The viewing angles are so large that you will probably never use them. Thanks to the resolution of 2560 x 1440 pix, the grid is really fine (108 PPI) and you won't see any blurring from a normal distance. It's not Retina, but you definitely don't need to despair.
As for reflections, the display is subjectively somewhere between classic glossy and matte. It is still glass and therefore reflections are created. But if I compare the display with the previous generation, there are far fewer reflections. So you won't have a problem in a normally lit room. But if the sun is shining over your shoulder, this display probably won't be the right thing either. Personally, I am still getting used to the diagonal, which in my case is 27″. The area is really huge, and from a standard distance, your field of vision already covers the entire area, and you can see the edges partially with peripheral vision, which means that you have to move your eyes over the area. And unfortunately the solution is not to move the display further away from the chair, because some OS X controls are so small (eg file details) that I can't see them well.
Sound, camera and microphone
Well, how can I say it. The sound from the iMac is just… sucks. I expected a little more despite the slimness of the entire computer. The sound is completely flat, indistinct and at higher volumes it simply tears the ears. So take it for what it is, but don't count on some audiophile experience. You have to buy something else for that. Of course, the sound from the headphones already has everything that is needed and it is also a certain solution. The microphone is absolutely fine, no one complained about the quality during FaceTime calls, so I have nothing to complain about.
The camera is also a solid backup. Again, I expected something a little better. The camera gives the image quite out of focus, it doesn't focus itself in any way and you can tell. Some kind of face recognition and therefore the aforementioned autofocus, which we know from the iPhone, simply does not happen here. Damage.
Accessories
You don't get much with the iMac. The basic package includes an aluminum wireless keyboard and then you have the choice of whether you want a mouse or a trackpad. I had a fairly simple choice. I chose the trackpad because I use a quality Logitech mouse, but mainly we wanted to try something new. In addition, I was attracted by the gestures, which can be used a little more on the trackpad than on the mouse.
The workshop processing of both is at a very decent level. The keyboard has a decent lift and the keys respond well, the only thing I would complain about is a certain play of the keys in the movement on the sides, they wobble slightly. It feels a little cheap, but you can get used to it. The trackpad is, in a word, a gem. A simple aluminum-plastic plate with perfect sensitivity. The only thing I would complain about is the press stroke being too hard, especially in the upper part of the trackpad you hardly have a chance to make a click. I finally solved it by turning on software clicking by double-tapping the touchpad, which is not set by default. But what is the most on the Magic Trackpad are the already mentioned gestures. As a long-time Windows user, I have to say that this is the coolest thing about OS X ever. Working with gestures is fast, efficient and easy. The first few days I still used the mouse here and there because I was slow with the trackpad, but after 14 days the mouse is on the table turned off and all I use is this magic pad. Plus, if anyone has a problem with wrist pain, they'll love this toy just a little bit more.
In conclusion, to buy or not?
As you can see, I already answered myself some time ago. Over time, you have to tell yourself that in order to make the same decision, you have to be a bit of a fan of the brand, technology, design, or you simply want to stand out and money is not a factor. I'm a little bit of everyone. Since I already have other Apple products, this is just another part of the home ecosystem that gets along with the other parts. I expected this machine to further connect existing devices, which works great.
Gallery
price and place of order?
I would also be interested in the price...
Very nicely written article
I'm pretty much the same as Libor, but somehow I didn't understand at the beginning if it was the first iMac and until now it was just a PC? I'm like that too.
The start of Win7 on Air 2011 with SSD is even shorter than with OSX, which was about 18 seconds, but the shutdown is considerably longer and with longer use the start also takes longer.
I would also be tolerant of the absence of mechanics. I haven't used it for a long time even on my PC.
You write that, unfortunately, the solution is not to move the display further from the chair. Does this mean that a smaller display would be better?
So the speaker and camera is quite a shame for the money.
The trackpad is basically a little thing that got me when I tried it in the Apple store and made me want a Mac. The entire control comfort is completely different. In this, Apple crushes the competition.
I'm a little worried about the graphics performance and the inability to change the GPU.
It also bothers me that there is supposedly a problem with Bootcamp. I don't want to be completely cut off from Win, and I don't really like the virtual one.
Otherwise, thanks for a nice preview from the beginning and a funny one. Very nicely written.
Oh, and one more question. Is it worth the money? I'm guessing around 55 depending on the RAM size
how about you stop talking nonsense just get the giggles and buy it! it will make him as happy as you when you buy unrivaled windows. buy it and don't give a damn that it was so expensive. I'm also an apple lover and do you think I regret not buying a car here instead of a computer?
How about you stop replying stupidly? I normally ask the user who switched from Win and not you, jeleto, who just wants something, buys it and doesn't use it. In addition, you didn't understand what I was talking about, so don't get involved, please read both my contributions. I have more Apple products at home than win kopyto.
It is precisely because of the total integration of everything that I am considering Thunderbolt display + mac mini. You can connect a laptop to the display and when the mini is "out" you can stick it to the TV or give it to the children. Upgradability aside...
The problem with Bootcamp is on 3TB disks, because Bootcamp can work with a maximum of 2TB disks, but I think Apple has already fixed it.
OK thanks.
In addition, whether a smaller or larger display. It's just that the display is quite large and some of the controls are a little harder to look at from a greater distance. It's just a compromise between screen size and ergonomics.
The speakers could be better, but again it's a compromise between design and sound quality. Design prevails.
It's clear to me that it's at the expense of the design, but the camera certainly isn't, and if they wanted to, even the speaker could be improved according to what you write. Stupid iPad1 had decent sound, so if it's at least like that...
Yeah, and I'm sorry. I thought I don't know why he wrote the Libor article. Thanks and the reaction belongs to you ;)
Perfect article.. Many thanks. I've been waiting for this.. I'm getting ready for a smaller 24″, which I've already had the honor of.. The advantage, at least it works for me, is the fact that you can forgive a lot of things with Apple products just because they have that special aura of uniqueness. .
24″ does not exist ;)
nice article, I'm just interested in the Thunderbolt>HDMI adapter, I've already bought one and the picture quality on the TV isn't great
The image quality is absolutely OK. Native TV resolution only.
With my reduction, the image is grainy and really ugly. I wanted her in the movies and that's really not possible. So I would just be interested in the manufacturer or type so that I can buy it.
I have a new 4.1.2013 since January 27, 21,5, I waited for it for a month, it came still warm from Shanghai.. I have to say that I would definitely not buy the 27 again, I was thinking about it and I was afraid that the 4 would be too much and it is not completely comfortable I would definitely take a bigger one :-) If you work as a photographer and web designer like me, you will appreciate the fact that, for example, when creating a website, you can have 4 windows open that are big enough!!! That's the bomb! And photoshop is also great, where I find my way around much better!! As for the performance, of course it is fast, but it is not so strikingly different from my macbook pro 5gb iXNUMX!!!.. But that is probably just because the macbook is a perfect machine regardless of the fact that I still have osx leopard in it , which seems to me to be faster than Lion.. As for the distance, I sit a meter away from him and it's fine (it's not that huge, you'll get used to it quickly).. In addition, the reduced reflectivity is very noticeable!!!!!!! My eyes don't burn at all and it burns on the macbook….
Go to 27! If someone takes photos, the photos on the iMac are so beautiful that your head will spin!!
:-D
I'm taking pictures ;) thanks
I will buy it, but only when it has a retina display. I have very good eyesight and I can really see the pixels. I can even see them on an iPad with retina, but only when I search for them.
They are visible on every display. It's just the distance at which the user "usually" looks at the device.
I think it's a good thing he doesn't have a retina. HW that could render such a monstrous resolution quickly enough is simply not available in the mobile (graphics) segment.
But nowhere. Even the basic model of iMac with geforce 4M could easily handle 640K resolution. MBP has no problem with retina. Even an intel HD 4000 can handle it.
http://legitreviews.com/news/14116/
I have already decided that I will not buy an iMac until it has retina.
Well, I wouldn't say that, and most of all, most people don't have such a sharp eye or simply don't notice it, so they have less of a problem and more money saved :)
I see you have money to give away
I waited for him, but in the end I couldn't stand it and after 3 years I will try PC again. iMac 2010 disappointed me, the crunching of the disk was annoying. I preferred editing photos and full HD video on Airy.
Just replace the SSD and you're done :) Personally tested in an iMac 24″ Late 2009
I would soon have capacity problems with the SSD itself. I also bought a frame for the disc in case I would choose a DVD drive, but in the end I preferred to sell it.
A very interesting solution is the Seagate Momentus XT. I stuffed it into a white MB (C2D 2.1GHz) and the system starts in 35s, applications start immediately (start XCode approx. 3s). And most importantly, you can't hear it in the laptop...
it's a shame about the sound output... on the old iMac it was quite high quality and even dense
I have an iMac 24″ Late 2009 and the sound is great. Even if the iMac's creed is not sound... In any case, you can always buy additional cases, in addition, the iMac has an optical output hidden in a 3,5″ jack :)
Yeah, that's cool, pretty fun, my dear. I just don't understand why the happy owner paid extra and bought such a canon, when he doesn't actually need it, according to his own words. :) Let's face it, the price for such pieces is around the price of a 3-door used but preserved car. ;-)
so if it wasn't better for that price to pack up the other half and go to the Caribbean or on a safari?
well...probably yes..if I didn't worry about money so much...I would buy it
So the reason is simple. The iMac is a purchase for a few years, so it should have some performance reserve.
any computer is for a few years
Nicely written article!
Just a small note about the trackpad. When I bought the MBP, I also used a mechanical click because I didn't have good experience with touch clicking from all kinds of laptops. As the most convenient control, I used pointers to move the cursor and thumb (in the lower part of the trackpad) for clicking. Only as time progressed I found out how terrible the trackpad is compared to the mini-pads from the notebook. The habit that the trackpad emits when pressed mechanically started to get me into it. Well, now I just click by touch. :O)
I hate any mechanical click when controlling the computer, even on the keyboard for years, I always use touch even on the laptop (trackpad) and thank God for sw keyboards. Mechanical things are like from the past.
That's right, those sounds are just absolutely annoying nonsense. I just wanted to respond to the problem with the mechanical handle. It's not the first time I've heard/heard how it bothers people, and it can be easily solved by using your thumbs. That is, if the given person wants to click like this. ;O)
well written…great machine…..terrible price… ;)
I agree that such a thing exists, but in this case the SSD is only used as a cache. Due to the size of the integrated SSD, it is not possible to talk about "storage" for the most used data.
Jasan, I'm not arguing about that at all. It was a note that no other company had made before. There is absolutely nothing stopping Samsung from replacing the 16GB "cache" of data with "128GB" and it's the same in pale blue. It's just a matter of price.
I would say that the main difference between them is that, born from Samsung, Apple is able to promote such a feature incredibly marketing...
No one doubts the marketing skills of the Cupertino fans. :)
Very nice review. And I have to say that the 72″ iMac is so beautiful that if I didn’t buy a MacBook Air 13″ now and I wasn’t waiting for a new iPhone at home, I would put the money into that big cake. :)
It was also good to read about someone who (like me) switched to OS X from Win and is just getting into it. I can say for myself that it took about 2 days, now I don't even want to turn on the old laptop, I use it more like a Mac pad. :D
*27″ of course…72″ wouldn’t fit on my desk. :P
Hello, I bought a 21,5″ in max equipment. It arrived from Ireland fourteen days after ordering (the very first day of sale). But that's not the reason why I decided to write here.
It works great, photo editing, HD video editing, streaming to Apple TV, synchronization with the latest Apple toys is of course great, COD Black Ops in max settings also runs great, but... I found out right away during the first FaceTime call (after all, when recording the day on displayi), that the caller was cracking up in the reps, and he was afraid that they would be fired. Surrounding noise reduction is mysteriously missing in the settings (I was hoping that I could reduce the crackling). So I called Apple Care and followed all the advice I was given... Unfortunately the microphone keeps going on and on and on and on and on, making it completely unusable. The only thing left is to send the cat to the service center...
Does anyone have a similar experience?
PS: Due to the current connection between the display and the body of the iMac, I am curious as to how the replacement of the microphone - whether it is isolated or integrated on the board - will be carried out...
I would say that they will test it and possibly replace the complete set.
I have a new iMac 21,5 for less than a week, I just got it yesterday and immediately crashes, kernel panic when installing parallels desktop, various spontaneous restarts, etc. I did a diagnostic test using TechTool Pro 6 because I suspected a disk (iMac was quite slow, incomparably compared to AIR).. I found out that it has 10 bad sectors and they recommend me to replace it.. that's the joy of a new computer at such a price that it goes to the service center right away :( to be honest, I don't expect any output control from apple anymore the quality is also going downhill... I had an ipad and on the first day I found out that it had a defective display, I complained about the macbook pro 4 times before they found out that the topcase was defective and the current was passing through, the iphone had a defective display, the macbook air also had a defective display with spots + battery.. now iMac… I don't know if they are sending us some double quality here or what is going on… I buy everything from iStyle…..
Previously, the Imac had an installation DVD and a hardware test on the DVD... How is it now?
No DVD is supplied. The OS is pre-installed, and in the case of a new installation, it should be enough to enter a valid Apple ID and the iMac will download the OS itself from the Internet.
In particular, the new iMac does not have a drive. That's why the DVD is no longer included in the package.
No DVD is needed, the iMac has the same as new machines from apple recovery partition where the osx installation is.. The same as the hardware test. All you have to do is hold down these keys at startup and everything will start right away ;)
I just want to ask, because I'm quite a passionate player :) What are your Diablo III settings (graphics, at least half-hearted), because I play sometimes, but with everything at the highest possible resolution of 2560×1440, while I enabled backround and the second framerate up to 200, but when I look at the game and turn it on, I "only" have 30 and it simply cannot go above that number... It's strange to me, I have the same graphics and processor configuration as you.
Thanks for the story
I only set it once and everything to max. I don't remember the exact numbers anymore, but the FPS is around 100. I could find out in more detail at home.
When I read this thread, I can't help but wonder about the delivery times and silently envy the Czech brothers that they have the option to order through Apple.cz. On 1.12.2012/11/XNUMX, I ordered exactly the same set through an authorized seller in Slovakia, of course I don't have it yet, and when I asked when it will finally arrive, the only answer is to be patient, supposedly maybe in the middle of February/February, which is XNUMX weeks, and even that is not certain. I want to buy it for the company, but if I had known what was waiting for me, I would probably have ordered it through a friend in the Czech Republic. I'm nervous :))
The solution is really to order to a Czech address and there is nothing to solve. Although now it's probably worth waiting for Slovak distribution.
When I got the Magi trackpad, it also got me and for quite a while I put away the Magic mouse and only used the trackpad. However, after about half a year of using the trackpad, I realized that I am slower to work with the trackpad than with the mouse. So, for about half a year now, I've had a trackpad next to the keyboard on the left, a mouse on the right, and I drive two-handed. And gentlemen, that's just a joke. I notice a significant acceleration of my work and I really enjoy it even if I have to do some tasks on the iMac that don't take much of my time. Otherwise, I have an iMac 27 Late 2009 with a 256 SSD and a 1TB HDD and it's really great. Start the system in 12, the applications load immediately. The only downside is the heating of the iMac, when it is almost impossible to keep your hand on the top of the computer. This goes hand in hand with a slightly higher noise compared to the new model. Then again, I don't have to heat in my small office :-). My wife has an iMac 2012 21.5 in basic configuration and I have to say that I am extremely satisfied with this basic machine as well. Design, virtually zero noise, immediate and trouble-free computer wake-up and excellent cooling. I know that many users complain about the basic configuration, but when I know that I need a more powerful machine, I still have to pay something extra. A richly sufficient configuration for my wife to process photos, documents, surf the net, play music and movies.
I think about it for a long time, but the resolution still bothers me a little. I'm not saying I want retina, but 108 ppi seems a bit low. When I look at it in the store, it seems to me that it needs a higher resolution, mainly because of the smoothing of fonts in mac os.
Hello,
I have ordered the same model but without FD. So far, I am waiting for the fifth week (ordered on 15.1.13/2/3 in iWant - the original delivery time was 3-8 weeks. Apparently, Apple has lost a supplier and therefore I have to wait about another XNUMX weeks. So XNUMX in total and the certainty that it will not be any longer). :-/ If anyone would like to order, I recommend ordering from apple.cz rather than from AR.
I tried to pass the time by finding out details about the components used, and I would like to ask you a question about the graphics card.
I was interested in the interesting clocking results of the GF 680 for desktop PCs. Have you tried clocking the GF 680MX? And is a clock even possible with All-In-One computers?
Today I was in Parndorf, Austria, standard sets of 27 available now, individual sets 2 weeks. In Slovak, after 13 weeks from the order, the seller is not able to say when it will be delivered. Ordered in Austria…
"Since I don't do any complex tasks on the iMac, I haven't managed to use this processor to even 30% with standard work."
It's great when a person can afford what they want and of course I don't want to judge who does what with their money, but I always find it strange when people throw an i7 processor into their iMacs, after all it's an extra 5 thousand and that's not a little for something, which a person will not use technologically with a high probability. I can understand it for laptops where the only way to have 4 cores is i7, but for a desktop? The i5 is basically enough for everything you write about in the review. Game acceleration? It doesn't happen.
Hyperthreading, which is actually the main thing for which a person buys an i7, does not play a role in your mentioned activities, so congratulations on the wasted money. But maybe you don't have time to wait 15 minutes. longer for renders, not even the few seconds for Photoshop filters, or I just don't see it in the article.
Otherwise, congratulations on a great job and I'm quietly envious.